Geisinger

Patricia & John Graham

More are surviving Heart & Vascular Disease

Patricia and John Graham are champions of high-quality heart and vascular care. More than ten years have passed since the Grahams joined their close friends, Richard and Marion Pearsall, in funding the construction of the Pearsall Heart Hospital, which is one of the region’s top heart and vascular centers and ranked among the 50 Top Cardiovascular Programs in the nation by Thomson Reuters.

As head nurse in the Emergency Department at Geisinger Wyoming Valley Medical Center (GWV) for over 13 years, Patricia (Pat) Graham saw many lives destroyed by cardiovascular disease. She and her husband, John, were determined to help with a donation to build the Richard and Marion Pearsall Heart Hospital.

“I knew that we could treat patients more successfully if we could deliver complex heart and vascular procedures right here at Geisinger Wyoming Valley without moving patients to other facilities for specialized care,” recalls Pat. Pat’s vision has been fulfilled for the patients and families who are treated by the Geisinger Heart and Vascular Institute team. Although the national average is 55 percent, today, 90 percent of acute heart attack patients at Geisinger are treated within 90 minutes of arrival.

Geisinger holds a special place in the Grahams’ hearts. In 1991, when they got married, they designated Geisinger as the recipient of wedding gifts. Then in 2011, they established the Rose M. Reckner Nursing Endowment to honor Pat’s late sister. The endowment supports nursing education in critical care areas such as heart and vascular. They have also made a multi-year pledge to support the Pearsall Heart Hospital.

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